Nixon’s decision came four days after he first called on guard troops to help contain the escalating protests over the police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown on Aug. 9. The nightly confrontations between protesters and a heavily-armed police force wielding tear gas and rubber bullets have attracted global attention.

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In the statement, Gov. Nixon said that he is giving the order “as we continue to see improvement,” perhaps referring to the comparative calm of Wednesday night. Meanwhile, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch announced that he would not recuse himself from the investigation into what transpired between Officer Darren Wilson and Brown. State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed had presented a petition signed by 70,000 people to McCulloch's spokesperson asking that he do so. Nasheed explained that the petition signifies that people “have no confidence in [McCulloch’s] ability to be fair and impartial, not just in the City of St. Louis and in Ferguson, but throughout the country.”

Emily Tamkin is a freelance writer with an M.Phil. in Russian and East European studies. Follow her on Twitter.